JamesHaysKnodle

James Hays Knodle, age 70, known as "Jim" by his friends and family, passed away after a brief illness on Friday, August 24, 2018.

Jim will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 36 years, Susan, his daughter, Jennifer, son-in-law, Alex Kaplan, three grandchildren, Hannah, Max and Lexi, and many family and friends. Jim was born in Sycamore, IL, on December 1, 1947, and baptized in the Lutheran Church. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from DePauw University with a BS in Accounting. Jim attained his MBA from the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University. Jim had a highly successful career in the field of finance and banking, having worked as an auditor for Arthur Anderson, an accounting professor at Northern Illinois University, and later as a dedicated commercial lender for First Chicago / Bank One / Chase Bank. In appreciation of Jim's years of service to the company and to the young employees he inspired and trained, he was honored with a lavish party at the 57th Floor Chase Building, Chicago, to celebrate his retirement in 2015.

Jim was a kind, spiritual man. He prayed every night for his family who he adored. No one loved mentoring young people or his own grandchildren more than Jim. His grandchildren brought him tremendous joy. Hannah, his first born granddaughter, delighted him with her stage performances. He shared his love of baseball with his grandson, Max, and Max's travel team, even honoring the team with perfect attendance at their games. Lexi, his youngest grandchild, entertained Jim with her swimming ability and knack for clever conversation. Jim cherished his relationship with his daughter, Jennifer, and he was very supportive of her marriage to Alex Kaplan. Jim was a truly loving husband to his wife, Susan. Jim and Sue enjoyed spending time together doing the activities they liked best - traveling and treasuring the company of their beautiful family.

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